Woah. This tea is one of the more interesting ones I’ve had in a while! COURTESY OF AUGGY, who is amazing, if you didn’t know this already. Seriously amazing. Tea goddess. Not lying.

So I had a rough night last night, and as a result, I probably only got three hours of sleep. Can you say, “BRAAAIINNS?” Yeah, nearly comatose. I needed a pick-me-up. And since Auggy’s Citron Oolong was just sitting here, looking sad and neglected, I figured I’d steep some up. Cause that’s what we do at Steepster. We steep tea. Then think we’re important enough to log our thoughts. I don’t know where I’m going with this.

Anyway, I measured out the required 1 tbsp (and my eyes bugged out at how HUGE the tablespoon looked this morning – read: I AM NOTAWAKE) and dumped it into my IngenuiTEA. The leaves are little crackled-up balls, like someone made tea spitballs and then threw them into the mix. And there are lots of flowers. Lots. They’re very cute and delicate. The tea, overall, is very pretty dry. The smell was really citrus-y but light. Not like Lysol or a cleaning agent. I can’t really describe it.

Anyway, the tea did its little dance, and boy did the oolong do its dance. The leaves wasted no time unfurling and wriggling and becoming their gorgeous, russet-and-green selves.

The tea ate a lot of water. Because when I poured, my cup wasn’t as full as it usually is. But no worries! This might be one tea that actually smells better WET than dry! Mmmmm. It smells like the iced lemon cookies (those soft, squishy ones) that I sometimes have. Bake-y and buttery in a delicate lemon way.

The buttery really comes across in the smell of the infusion itself. The smell is mostly pure lemon, with this intense butter note. Hesitantly, I took a sip.

Okay, I can completely see the Fruity Pebbles comparison! Because now that I’ve read everyone’s comments, yeah, Fruity Pebbles, in sort of an awesome way. But I definitely taste delicious lemon notes, with a floral undertone. There’s a bit of orange in there too, but it’s hiding and it only really comes out if you concentrate on it with every sip. As for the oolong part… I’m not sure if I really taste it. Then again, I have little-to-no experience with oolongs, but I’m not tasting anything that rings soundly of teaness. Other people have mentioned that the oolong doesn’t really come through completely in this tea, and I’d have to agree.

I’m almost not minding that, though, because the tea is waking me up with its clean freshness and assertiveness. For all the citrus, it really is gentle, mild, and coaxing. Nowhere near the aggressiveness of something like bergamot. It’s not even really that sour or tart. No puckering here! Nor is it astringent, which is surprising, because sometimes citrus completely dries my mouth out. I’d have to say that this tea is female.

This is really, really interesting. I don’t think it’d be a daily drinker for me, but it’s fun, fresh, and eye-opening. I’m more awake and wired now than I ever was before, and I did it while drinking an awesome tea from Auggy (who is 3 for 3 with tea sent to me [that rhymed, lawl])!

Hope thing went well last night and glad this helped wake you up! This one is a tea that I don’t think I should like, but I do. It’s one I need to be in a certain mood for, but apparently that mood is not infrequent!

I gave this one a way cuz I just couldn’t taste the tea and didn’t think it paid to use a tea I could taste on it’s own to blend w/ it. This would be the PERFECT tea to drink when you’re sick though, maybe w/ a drizzle of honey?

It is an odd little thing but I’m coming to love it. Though I have added some oolong to it to try and get more of that taste to come out and honestly? Didn’t like it as much. Made it seem too heavy or something. So I speculate that the tea gives it just a little rounded flavor as compared to the citron bits alone.

Comments

Hope thing went well last night and glad this helped wake you up! This one is a tea that I don’t think I should like, but I do. It’s one I need to be in a certain mood for, but apparently that mood is not infrequent!

I gave this one a way cuz I just couldn’t taste the tea and didn’t think it paid to use a tea I could taste on it’s own to blend w/ it. This would be the PERFECT tea to drink when you’re sick though, maybe w/ a drizzle of honey?

It is an odd little thing but I’m coming to love it. Though I have added some oolong to it to try and get more of that taste to come out and honestly? Didn’t like it as much. Made it seem too heavy or something. So I speculate that the tea gives it just a little rounded flavor as compared to the citron bits alone.

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28-year-old NYC girl just starting out on her tea adventures! I used to hate tea. If you asked me a few years ago what I thought of tea, I’d tell you it tasted like hot, dirty dishwater. Not anymore! I acquired a taste for tea when I started drinking peppermint tea for my upset stomach problems. From there I graduated to teas like chamomile and Lipton. But Lipton wasn’t strong enough!

I’m getting the hang of this loose leaf thing. Black’s my default, but I’ve found that I really love teas that fall into every category. I’m a purist – I always drink my tea neat. I prefer unflavored tea over flavored tea, and really dislike anything flavored with artificial-tasting substances. I’ve grown up a bit in my tea drinking, and I find that novelty appeals to me less and less.